Perspectives
by Drink Sparky Cola
Summary: [The Black Donnellys] My take on a continuation of the still yet unaired pilot that starts on March 5th on NBC following Heroes, which everyone should watch! MAJOR SPOILERS for the pilot so don't read if you haven't seen it.


**Perspectives**

Begun: January 9th, 2007

Finished: February 9th, 2007

AN: This story is for the NBC show, The Black Donnellys, which hasn't started yet but will on March 5th (10 PM, mark your calendars! Set your TIVO!) This story gives away MAJOR spoilers for the pilot, and is just my take on a continuation of the pilot. Now that I've seen some scenes from episode 2, I can say parts of this story will not play out like they will on the show, so I might as well post this now before it is officially AU.

PS This is the FIRST TIME in my history of fanfic writing that I actually wrote and finished a _second_ story for a particular fandom. Every other show or movie I'm obsessed with has only gotten one story from me (though not for lack of ideas, just for lack of effort...) so that should just PROVE to you people how great this show is--it's beaten an ambition for writing in me unheard of in my experiences...

**JIMMY**

Jimmy Donnelly couldn't believe his luck.

Well, luck maybe wasn't the _best_ word choice, exactly. Most guys sitting in a jail cell dicking around with a hit on their head the moment they hit the street again wouldn't exactly agree that they were _lucky_ per se. But Jimmy Donnelly was notorious for having a positive outlook on life. He could put a spin on any bad situation to make it appear to be in his favor.

Jimmy preferred to look at it this way: he was alive, for at least another day, and he had his brothers looking out for him.

And he knew it was his brother Tommy that had saved him by calling Frankie Stein and having him picked up for the shirt thing. Normally, Jimmy was pissed whenever Tommy stepped in and busted his balls for some minor charge that Jimmy had under control. But seeing as this situation was quickly spiraling _out_ of control and Jimmy was headed down a path he wouldn't find his way back up again, he was actually _thankful_ that Tommy had turned him in.

When he had been returning from the drop and saw what the Italians did to his baby brother, Jimmy had been furious—no, _beyond_ furious. Something took over him, in that moment. Memories of his father dying all those years ago while he sat uselessly by, not even aware… Jimmy had never forgiven himself for it, and now he had something entirely new to feel guilty about. Sean's beating was his fault. Sean had almost nothing to do with the kidnapping, but Sal Minetta knew that getting to his brothers would kill him faster than just beating Jimmy himself up. The anger overwhelmed him, and he did the only thing he could think of doing at that moment. He went back to the bar, grabbed the gun below the counter, and he killed Louie Downtown. He _killed _someone.

Jimmy had never killed anyone before. He'd committed his fair share of crime, sure, but never anything this serious. It wasn't even him wielding the gun but some other person entirely. When it was all over, he couldn't believe what had happened, what he had become. And most of all… he couldn't believe he didn't feel one iota of remorse for it. They had no right to do what they did… if they were going to play dirty, Jimmy would just have to beat them to the punch.

For several hours afterward, while he waited at the hospital to hear about Sean, Jimmy mulled over his next move. He knew he'd brought down a storm of trouble on himself and his brothers, and he had to fix it. He planned it all out—killing Sal Minetta and his men, every Italian in the place—and in his fevered mind, it actually started to make sense, but after talking to Tommy he realized how foolish it really was, and that for all his righteousness, he was backed into a corner.

Tommy got him out. Just like always, Tommy was there to fix it, and for the first time, Jimmy knew his brother was right.

He could never admit it, of course. Jimmy knew Tommy always looked out for him—for _all_ of them—but calling the cops was the most extreme thing Tommy had ever done. Jimmy was just happy Frankie and his partner Collero didn't know about Louie Downtown, and if he'd done a good enough job hiding the body, they never _had_ to know…

Speaking of Frankie, the detective sat at his desk, a stone's throw away from the cell that Jimmy inhabited, filling out his paperwork for the evening. They were the only two people in the room and the only sounds came from a small television mounted to the wall adjacent to Frankie's desk. Jimmy shouted out to him, "Hey, hey Francis!" Frankie Stein looked up from his papers idly and met Jimmy's gaze. The pack of beer Jimmy had purchased just prior to his bust sat on the desk beside the detective, with a sticky note labeled 'Evidence' and one can missing.

"What do you want, Jimmy?"

"Man, I'm dying a' thirst in here… you wanna hook me up or what?" He shrugged at the beer and Frankie gave him a sobering glance.

"You're kidding me, right kid?"

"Kidding? It's my beer, I bought that beer!" Frankie didn't reply and returned to his paperwork, shaking his head. "Come on!" Jimmy pleaded, but when he still received no reply, he gave up and lay down on the uncomfortable cot, crossing his arms behind his head and muttering, "It was worth a try…"

"You should think about getting better," Frankie spoke finally, after a moment's silence.

Jimmy sat up on the cot and glanced at the detective. "What'd you say?"

"You need to take care of yourself, Jimmy. I don't know what you did or why you're in so much trouble, but all that's got to stop now. Tomorrow morning, they're gonna come and they're gonna put you in rehab, and you're gonna get better… but only if you try. Nobody can help you if you won't let them," Frankie lectured.

Jimmy frowned. "I can get better. No problem."

He could tell by the look on Frankie's face that the older man had trouble believing him. "I know you're a good boy, John. You're a lot like your father was. I knew him real well back when you boys were kids. When he died I told myself I'd look out for you boys and I'm doing all I can, but you four aren't making it very easy on me."

"I'm sorry…" Jimmy uttered quietly, shocked at the detective's words.

"Now Tommy and Collero and I? We're going through a lot of trouble getting you the lightest sentence possible, so if you go and fuck it up and end up back here in a month," Frankie pointed an accusatory finger at Jimmy. "I'm gonna bust your ass for real next time and kill you myself."

"You got it, boss," Jimmy chuckled half-heartedly, saluting.

"Just go easy on me. I'm not as young as I used to be," Frankie gave him a half smile and returned to his work. Jimmy sat down on his cot and lowered his head into his hands to think. He wasn't silent for long when a news report playing on the television behind Frankie caught his attention.

"… authorities say this is one of the largest multiple homicides this city has seen in decades. I'm live on the scene where the bodies of six men believed to have strong mob ties have been discovered, not more than an hour ago, just after dawn."

"Hey, hey Francis, turn that up!" Jimmy stood to get a better view of the TV. Frankie gave him a strange look but turned the volume up a few notches as the woman continued her report.

"The grisly scene must have gone down just before discovery of the bodies by police after they arrived at the scene to investigate reports of gunshots. The building was empty at the time, but police are conducting their search for those believed to be attached to the murders, including other members of the Italian mafia."

Jimmy watched the images on the screen of what he knew to be Sal Minetta's place of residence and it was like something inside of him sank to an irretrievable depth. What he heard next shocked him most of all.

"Among the dead are suspected Italian mafia boss, Sal Minetta _and_ rival mafia leader Huey Farrell, dashing rumors that the murders were the act of the Irish mob—"

At that moment Collero stuck his head in the room and met his gaze with Frankie. "You watching this, Frankie?" The older detective nodded dimly. "Sarge wants us to go over there and take a look."

"It's not our beat," Frankie responded. "That part of town is the 88th Precinct. Why does he want us?"

Collero did all but shift his gaze at Jimmy and both of the men understood. To Jimmy's disbelief, Frankie stood and headed for the exit with his partner.

"No, no, wait a minute here!" Jimmy shouted at the retreating forms. "Frankie, don't do this to me. You gotta tell me what's going on. Francis!"

Frankie just shrugged. "I'm sorry, Jimmy. I know as much as you do, I'll be back in a minute. Just… be patient."

"Be patient…" Jimmy sat down on the cot, incredulous. How in the hell was he expected to be _patient_ in a situation like this? Sal Minetta wanted to kill him earlier tonight, and now he was dead… And _Huey Farrell_… what the hell had happened while he was sitting here all night on a stained cot in some stinking cell?

No new details were spoken on the news, and after an eternity, Frankie strode back into the room, reaching for his coat. Jimmy stood expectantly, his hands outstretched. "Well?"

Frankie gave him a reassuring glance as he pulled on his jacket and walked over to the cell. "The other four bodies are Italian mafia members. None of your brothers were there."

Jimmy felt relief wash over him and his knees suddenly grew weak. Finding himself sitting again, he looked up at Frankie, the guilt starting to creep out into his gaze.

The detective just looked down at him in pity. "I don't know what went down this night Jimmy, but I'm starting to get a good idea." Frankie sighed. "I don't know what to tell you. I'll do what I can to fix this, so if I don't see you tomorrow morning… Take care of yourself, Jimmy. Get well, for all of us."

Frankie turned heel and left the room with Collero, leaving Jimmy to his thoughts. There were so many frenzied fears rushing in, questions begging answers but none of the latter could be found. What had Tommy done? Was he okay? How was Jimmy expected to go away from his family in a time like this when they needed him most? He could never focus on himself without knowing… without knowing they were okay.

One thing Jimmy Donnelly knew for sure: he could really use his one phone call right now…

**KEVIN**

Kevin Donnelly always found himself in the middle of something.

Whether it was a dispute between his brothers which he was left to diffuse, or a heaping shit storm of repercussion for his own self-created drama, you could always find Kevin smack dab in the middle, usually wondering how the hell he got there.

It was no secret to Kevin that he wasn't exactly the wisest of the four Donnelly brothers… He had a… penchant for getting himself involved in some shady dealings, but he somehow always convinced himself that everything would be okay because luck was on his side. That old luck of the Irish, right?

Well, luck seemed to be taking a vacation these days, on the exact opposite side of the world that Kevin inhabited, so it was a damn good thing that he didn't _need_ luck. Not when he had his brothers by his side. No matter how bad the situation got, Kevin knew Jimmy or Tommy or even Sean would be there to lend him a hand if he needed one. Jimmy was right there and willing to help out with his gambling debts. Kidnapping Louie Downtown was all the eldest Donnelly's idea, and he had it worked out to a tee.

Well, supposedly.

The one thing they hadn't counted on was that the Italians would retaliate—on Sean of all people. He'd had little to do with the kidnapping. It was unfair that he should receive the brunt of the punishment.

But they had reunited as a family after the incident, coming together to support each other when they needed each other, just as a family ought to. The brawl that had gone on just hours earlier between Tommy and Jimmy was forgotten in the light of a more urgent matter that demanded their attention. When your family needed you, it didn't matter how mad you were at them—you helped them out. No questions asked.

And Kevin did just that, tonight. He just never suspected that following his brother Tommy of all people would lead to the most dire of consequences…

It still sent him into a shock to think of what they had done that night. They actually _murdered_ people. Six people, to be exact. Jimmy, Tommy, Kevin himself—all were guilty, landing their entire family in the middle of a situation that was much bigger than them. And no plan Jimmy or Tommy could concoct would get them out of it. They were inextricably drawn into something that none of them could see the end to.

It was just after dawn when Tommy and Kevin made it back to the hospital. They'd been gone several hours, and the place looked to be picking up traffic for the day. Kevin was suddenly all too aware of his appearance, wondering suddenly whether there was any blood from those men on his clothing. He had already checked five times, but the fear remained and he unconsciously found himself inspecting his sleeves anyway.

"You think everyone's still here?" Kevin asked to change the subject.

"Ma'll be here still. Maybe Joey Ice Cream."

"I wonder if Jenny's got any of those sandwiches left. I'm hungry…" Kevin prompted, remembering Jenny's failed attempt to appeal to Tommy before the pair had gone off to see Sal. It was no secret to the rest of them that Jenny and Tommy were secretly madly in love with each other and ought to have gotten together ages ago. It seemed like Jenny and Tommy were the only ones who didn't realize it.

A dark look passed over Tommy's face, one that Kevin couldn't place, but he smoothed out his features a moment later and replied, "She's probably gone home by now. She's got work soon."

"You don't think she'd stick around awhile?"

Tommy held the door open for Kevin then followed him into the hospital's front lobby. "Not anymore."

o-o-o-o-o

On the hospital's fifth floor, the waiting room that had been occupied by the Donnelly family was now empty. Remnants of their long vigil remained still—food wrappers, bags and leftovers sprawled over the coffee table. Kevin and Tommy found out that Joanie—the girl who had been with Sean when he got beaten up—had gone home to get some rest, after being checked out by the doctors. Also, their aunt Clara and cousin Hailey had left, barely a quarter of an hour earlier.

Across the hallway, in Sean's room, their now-conscious baby brother was accompanied by Joey, their mother—who took up a staunch place by her son's bedside—and surprisingly enough, Jenny Reilly.

Kevin sensed Tommy's hesitation at entering the room. He was all too aware of a brief look that passed between Tommy and Jenny that seemed to say it all, then after that they refused to meet each other's gaze. Kevin filed the observation away for a more appropriate time and focused on his little brother. Sean still looked like Hell, but at least he was awake, and some of his color had returned.

Kevin pulled up a chair on the opposite side of their mother. He slipped his hand into Sean's and squeezed it gently, careful not to disturb the IV. "Hey, kiddo, how're you feeling?"

Sean peered at him and Tommy through his good eye, the other still swollen shut, and smiled faintly. "A little sore."

Their mother smiled warmly at her boys as she ran a hand through Sean's hair softly. "He woke up about an hour ago. The doctors said it was a good sign because with traumatic head injuries, the first 24 hours are crucial. If he hadn't woken up, he could have had serious brain damage." Sean seemed to flinch a little at her words, but he didn't say anything aloud. Unaware of her son's discomfort Helen Donnelly continued. "They also said the surgery was successful but they want him to take it easy for awhile because there might be internal bleeding—"

Sean interrupted, "Where's Jimmy?"

Kevin opened his mouth to speak when it suddenly hit him that Sean had no idea what had gone on last night. After his beating, he hadn't woken up until just now. He had no clue what his brothers were embroiled in.

Luckily, Tommy spoke for the both of them, before Kevin could say the wrong thing, which he undoubtedly would. "Jimmy got busted by the cops. Couple hours ago."

Sean looked as if he wanted to say something about it, but opted not to, not with their mother in the room. Fortunately, she was too shocked by her son's news to catch the drift. "What?! What on Earth happened?"

"Yeah, he got caught for stealing. Kevin and I were down at the precinct talking to Francis and we got him into a rehab facility."

Helen put a hand to her mouth. "Oh my boy…" she muttered. "I knew he'd been troubled lately, but I thought he had gotten over all those drug problems. And stealing… he's okay, isn't he Tommy?"

"Yeah, ma, he's gonna be fine." Only Kevin fully understood the volume of Tommy's words, which were a comfort to their mother, whose initial worry for her eldest son quickly turned to anger.

"I can't believe that boy, getting into trouble like that when his family needs him. It's so typical of your brother to be doing things like this."

"It's not his fault, ma. He's sick." Tommy said quietly. "We covered for him, though. Few weeks from now, you'll have your good boy back again."

Their mother snorted and eyed her boys. "Well, I'm not sure that your brother was _ever_ a good boy, but I know what you mean, and I'm sure he'd be here in an instant if he could."

"You look tired, ma. You should go home and get some sleep," Kevin piped up, noticing the dark circles under her eyes. But more importantly he noted the vaguely lost look in Tommy's, and it worried him. He'd never seen such vacancy in his brother's expression before. "You too, Tommy. Joey and I can stay here with Seany for awhile."

Tommy and Helen adhered to Kevin's request however reluctantly and Jenny said she would leave as well. Tommy tried to draw her aside outside the room to talk, but she pulled away from him, and Tommy let her go, not wanting to cause a scene.

Kevin waited until the elevator doors closed behind Jenny and stepped out to meet his older brother. "I should really stay…" Tommy began, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You should really get some sleep," Kevin countered. "You look like you need it."

"You haven't slept either," Tommy pointed out but Kevin only shrugged and said he'd be fine for now. Tommy hesitated a moment and checked to make sure their mother was not in the vicinity. He lowered his voice and put a hand on Kevin's shoulder. "Listen, don't say anything to Sean about this. I don't want him to have to worry about all of this right now; he doesn't need that… And don't tell Joey either, 'cause you know he's not gonna keep a secret very long."

"I gotcha… Don't worry about it. Take ma home and both of you get some rest."

"All right, I'll be back here in the afternoon." For a moment the vacant look in Tommy's eyes was replaced with something else—gratuity, guilt, love, or some combination thereof—as he gazed at Kevin earnestly. "Thank you for coming with me, Kev."

"I'd do anything for you, Tommy," Kevin answered sincerely. Their mother left the hospital room, giving her boys that look that suggested she knew they were sharing a private moment, even if she didn't know what it was about.

When the pair had gone, Joey said he was going to get something to eat, and left the room, leaving Sean and Kevin alone. Sean looked at his older brother seriously and tried to gauge his expression.

"What really happened?" Sean asked, trying to push himself up with one hand. His left was wrapped in a brace, from his elbow on down, purple and blue visible down the length of it.

Kevin fished for an answer, uncertain that Sean should know the truth just yet. "Nothing. Just what Tommy said earlier."

"That's _bullshit_, tell me what happened," Sean said earnestly.

Kevin was at a loss for words. How was he supposed to describe something he could barely comprehend himself? "Look, it's none of your damn business what happened. Don't worry your not-so-pretty little head about it."

"Oh, _that's_ nice," Sean grumbled, leaning back against the pillows.

"The doc said you should really get some sleep, so maybe I should go wait outside…"

A little too quickly Sean replied, "Don't… I mean, stay here, _please_. No one was here when I woke up earlier and…" realizing himself Sean stopped abruptly, trailing off.

Kevin's heart broke and he closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose with two fingers. "Okay, I'm not so good at this stuff, so I'm just gonna say it. I'm sorry… about all of this. What they did to you, Jimmy gettin' in trouble… it's all my fault."

"No, y—"

"Yes, it _is_!" Kevin interrupted. "It's _my_ gambling debts that got me into trouble. _I'm_ the reason Jimmy started this whole thing. If it weren't for me and my… fuck-ups, none of us would have to be here right now… I should be the one they beat the shit out of, not you."

"I would never wish for that," Sean said quietly. "And it's not your fault. It was only… a matter of time before Jimmy did somethin' stupid."

Kevin snorted unintentionally and before he could stop himself, muttered, "Yeah, tell me about it…"

Sean studied his brother carefully then, very cautiously he asked, "Is Louie Downtown… dead…?"

Kevin stared blankly, and finally, realizing their baby brother knew more than he let on, the older Donnelly acquiesced and nodded slowly. Swallowing hard Sean continued, "Did Jimmy kill him?" Another reluctant nod. An awkward silence followed in which neither of them dared to speak before finally Sean asked, "Is that what Jimmy got busted for? Will he go to prison?"

"No, he got busted for the shirts like Tommy said. I don't think the cops know what Jimmy did."

"Well, what about the Italians? They came after me just because you _kidnapped_ Louie. What's gonna happen to Jimmy when they find him?"

"Don't worry about it, Jimmy's in jail, he's actually safer there. Besides, we, uh… talked to Huey Farrell and he helped us work it all out," Kevin lied poorly, he knew, but he never worked well under pressure.

A dark look passed over Sean's face that suggested he knew his brother was lying to him, but he chose not to say anything about it then. "I think I need some sleep now," he finally said quietly and Kevin was more than willing to comply.

"I'll be right outside if you need anything at all," he told Sean and quietly closed the door behind him. Walking down the hallway towards the cafeteria, Kevin passed by another waiting room, uninhabited except for one young man, who stood staring up at the television in frozen shock, as the reporters relayed the breaking news story on the murders of six connected mafia members just earlier that day…

"Hey, Joey!" Kevin called out and the other man was so startled by the voice that the coffee he gripped in one hand slipped and fell to the floor with a crash.

"WHAT DID YOU D—" But he never finished the sentence as Kevin crossed the room in three strides and covered Joey's mouth with his hand.

"Shut up, will you, and just follow me…" Kevin dragged a for-once speechless Joey down the hall until they found an isolated room. "Listen, Tommy and I… we took care of things last night. Tommy was gonna go to Sal's place—_alone_—and I just knew he was gonna get himself killed so I went with him. It was insane, Joey, I've never seen Tommy like that. He said that Huey had sold Jimmy out to Sal, and he was gonna stand by and watch them kill Jimmy so we had to stop it." Kevin told Joey the rest of the story in as much detail as he could muster.

"Tommy Donnelly… _killed_ Huey Farrell and Sal Minetta." Joey said, in utter shock. Kevin nodded, and then Joey asked the one question that Kevin could never be prepared to answer, but which plagued his mind nonetheless.

"Well, what's going to happen now?"

**SEAN**

Sean Donnelly shifted in his bed, attempting to make himself more comfortable but comfort wasn't exactly an option in his condition. What concerned him more, at the moment, was the state of his family. His brothers were lying to him, that much he knew for sure, or if not lying then certainly omitting a good portion of the truth.

The four brothers told each other everything, or so he'd been led to believe. At least, they told each other everything that mattered. There was a strong trust between each of them that extended beyond most families. The Donnellys would do _anything_ for family, and in this case that apparently meant killing Louie…

What had Jimmy been _thinking_? Sean thought to himself. He knew Jimmy had a history of being… _impulsive_, but this went way beyond his usual misdemeanors. This was big; this was something Jimmy could get sent to prison for. And that wasn't even _considering_ what the Italians might do to him first.

Sean may have been the baby, but he was by no means a fool. He knew that Jimmy's schemes were ill-advised, at times moronic, sometimes even dangerous… but he and Kevin had, over the years, somehow managed to convince themselves that whatever went wrong with the plan, Jimmy would fix it. He was _Jimmy_; he was their oldest brother, and by default the ringleader of their family. They were supposed to look to him for guidance, weren't they? Besides, Jimmy was a master when it came to winging it… if anything went wrong, Sean knew he could make it out okay. That's just how things went.

Well, this time it wasn't so okay, and Sean was having a hard time forgiving Jimmy as quickly as he used to. Especially with the added frustration that no one seemed to want to tell Sean what the Hell was going on.

He knew something was wrong when he woke up earlier that morning and his brothers were nowhere to be found. According to his mother, after the doctor informed the family they would be taking Sean upstairs for surgery, Tommy and Kevin went out for a walk without telling anyone, and none of the brothers had come back yet. Jenny seemed upset and his mother worried, but they tried to hide it in front of him.

At the same time, Sean tried to hide the fact that without his brothers there when he woke up, he felt terribly alone… He knew it was silly, and that he shouldn't need them there, but Sean couldn't help but feeling safer with his older brothers around. They always protected him. They were protecting him even now by keeping the truth from him, whether he wanted them to or not…

Sean gave up trying to figure out his brothers' secret and tried to sleep but was shocked to find that the instant his eyes closed he found himself back on a dark street corner, lying prone on the ground, blood pouring from his nose, his mouth, several cuts on his face, head throbbing, jaw numb—

Quickly, Sean opened his eyes, but the illusion vanished. He was lying in the small hospital room, on a nice, comfortable bed, not the cold pavement. There was sun filtering in the window and flowers on a table beside his bed… It was ridiculous to believe anything else.

Muttering some curses, Sean tried to turn on his side, but his left leg was wrapped in a thick plaster cast, making him quite immobile. Unable to get comfortable, Sean stared up at the ceiling then tried to close his eyes again.

His body experienced two extremes. The pavement below his cheek was cold and hard to the touch, but the warm blood that seeped from his forehead was warm and sticky, and when he tried to pick himself up, it mingled with the gravel and scraped his cheek roughly. Above him, the older men's cruel faces turned down to face him, sneering at him, laughing. They were _enjoying_ this. They truly wanted him to hurt—

Again Sean's eyes shot open. Breathing heavily he started to move again but a sharp pain in his side stopped him when he moved too quickly. This was never going to work; he was going to need something stronger.

And then, as if someone were actually standing by to answer his prayers, the door reopened and Kevin slipped in quietly. He was holding a cup of coffee in one hand and a glass of water in the other. "Sorry if I woke you," he said as Sean turned to look at him.

Sean shook his head and suddenly felt as if a weight had been lifted off him. "You didn't…" he said quietly.

Kevin looked at him hopelessly, and set the glass down on his table before taking a seat on the nearby bench. "I'm gonna be right over here, ok?" He raised a newspaper to indicate that he would be sufficiently entertained. "I won't make a sound, I promise."

Sean smiled inwardly and leaned back on the bed, settling into the soft, white sheets. The sleep no longer evading him, it was only minutes before he drifted off.

o-o-o-o-o

When he woke up, it was to the sound of other voices. The sun had set, Kevin was still there, and Joey too, but his clothes were different, suggesting he'd gone home some time while Sean was out. Kevin was sitting at the table across the room playing with a deck of cards. Joey was at the foot of his bed writing something on his cast with a black permanent marker. The look of stern focus in his features appeared almost comical on Joey Ice Cream…

"Oh, hey Rapunzel, how's your nap?" Joey remarked, not looking up from his work.

"Rapunzel?" Kevin scrunched his face and stopped his game for a moment. "Isn't she the one with the hair?"

Joey had a look of utter confusion written on his face. "What? No! She's the one that slept all the time…"

"That's Sleeping Beauty," Kevin put in.

"No! The one with all the little midgets…"

Kevin thought about it a second. "That's Snow White."

Joey's jaw dropped then snapped shut a second later. "Whatever! How am I supposed to know these things? I'm not a 12-year-old girl!"

"So if I'm Snow White," Sean piped up. "What does that make you, then? Dopey?"

Joey sneered at him. "Oh ­_ha­-ha_. You better keep yourself in line, or I won't finish the picture I'm drawing for you," he indicated his marker as he went back to work.

"Maybe that's a good thing…"

"You just wait and see!" Joey countered.

"Tommy should be here pretty soon," Kevin interrupted. "He's swinging by to pick up some dinner but he's on his way over." Not a minute later, Tommy Donnelly pushed open the door to the room, looking somewhat refreshed, but still a little tired.

As he walked by the bed, greasy McDonalds bag in hand, he glanced down at Joey's drawing on Sean's cast. His face soured and he smacked the other man hard on the back of the head. "OW! What the Hell was THAT for?!" Joey complained.

"Quit drawing _pornography_ on my little brother! What the Hell, are you 13?"

Joey rubbed the back of his head stubbornly. "Hey, this is _art_, my man. And you of all people should be able to appreciate a brilliant _masterpiece._" Joey paused for a moment, then added the finishing touches to his picture and sat back to admire it proudly. "Besides, I know for a fact that you guys did stuff ten times worse to the little guy before he could even _walk_."

"Hey!" Sean wrinkled his brow but Tommy and Kevin just smiled knowingly, dragged off to some fond memory of their years as his chief torturers.

Snapping out of it, Tommy set the bag down and took a seat across from Kevin. He pulled out a greasy burger and fries and tossed them at his brother, who frowned unappreciatively. "_McDonalds_? Yesterday I had an Italian sub. Where's Jenny anyway? She knows how to hook us up with the good stuff."

Tommy frowned. "Jenny had to open the bar tonight. She said she'd stop by tomorrow. Shut up and eat your food." He pulled out his own burger and made a face at it before taking a tentative bite.

The door opened just then and a cute nurse popped her head inside. Sean remembered her from earlier that morning when he first woke up. Her name was Kay… or something like that… Katie, that was it. Katie looked surprised to see the room full and put a delicate hand to her mouth. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt! I'm just here to grab Sean's chart for Dr. Murphy. I'll only be a moment."

Kevin and Joey's jaws dropped at the sight of the nurse. She was about 5'8" with shoulder-length red hair and looked absolutely stunning in spite of her informal scrubs. When she walked over to the bed, she actually _sauntered_, picked up his chart with carefully manicured fingernails, and turned her amber eyes on him. "How are we feeling today, sweetie?"

"A little uncomfortable. Do you think you could get me another pillow?" He looked up at her with wide eyes and a coy smile.

Nurse Katie grinned dearly at him and replied, "Of course, cutie! Anything you want!" She grabbed another pillow from under the bed and busied herself preparing it for him. The others just stared, unable to believe their eyes.

When she'd finished, Sean thanked her innocently and she replied, "Well, sweetie it looks like you're due for a sponge bath later tonight, and would you know it, it looks like I'm still on duty! So, I guess I'll see you then!" She winked—actually _winked_—at Sean and turned heel, heading out of the room in that same saunter she seemed to patent somehow.

At the sound of the door latch clicking into place, Sean was aware that all three of the other boys' faces were on him. He looked at each of them. Joey looked incredulous, and Tommy impressed, but Kevin looked about ready to vomit.

"How the HELL does he do that?!" Kevin spoke to no one in particular. "The kid's not even conscious for a whole day and he gets cute nurses offering him _sponge baths_! That's so unfair!"

Tommy shook his head and took a sip of his soft drink. "I don't know, Kevin. But he certainly didn't pick up the talent from any of us, did ya Seany?"

Sean smiled inwardly; his brothers always teased him when he was with girls. He didn't really quite know himself what it was that made girls fall for him, but they seemed to an awful lot. He supposed it had something to do with flattering them. They liked to feel pretty and idolized, and Sean was nothing if a talented flatterer.

"What about that girl from last night? Joanie, was it? Before you go running off with some nurse, maybe you could give her a call. She saved your life, you know." Tommy said surreptitiously.

Sean had thought about her a lot after he woke up. Joanie was a girl he had met at a coffee shop the previous week. They had gone to the movies last night and on their way back to the Firecracker Lounge, they had met up with Sal Minetta's vicious right hand. Joanie had already gone home by the time he got out of surgery, but his mother told him that she was okay. She had a minor concussion and a nasty black eye, but remained otherwise unhurt, which was good, Sean thought, because he didn't know what he'd do if she'd gotten seriously injured. He had fully expected the girl to run and not look back after he took off in an attempt to evade Nicky Cottero and his henchman, but she had stubbornly stayed and threw herself into harm's way in an effort to help him. It was futile, of course, thinking she could stand up to two guys twice her size, but it was courageous nonetheless and Sean found himself feeling quite grateful to have someone like Joanie on his side. Maybe he'd misjudged her before…

Tommy caught on to the tiny smile that played about Sean's lips and took full opportunity to tease his little brother. "Ahhh, I saw that. The smile says it all. You like her… Does this mean you might actually set a new Sean Donnelly record and take a girl out on a second date?"

"Shut up," Sean said, unable to hide the grin. "You're just jealous… And don't talk to _me_ about handling relationships. How long have you been pining for Jenny Reilly? Make a move already, man, you're _killing_ us…"

Tommy grew quiet and continued to eat his meal. "Yeah, well I don't think now's necessarily the right time to pursue anything with Jenny Reilly."

"What happened between you two, man? She sounded like she was going to kill you after you two went out last night." Joey said, stealing half of Kevin's fries despite the other man's protests.

"Ah, nothing man," Tommy lied. "I think she may have been upset that I turned Jimmy in to the cops, or somethin'."

"Why would she be upset about that?" Sean asked, starting to get suspicious of what he perceived to be more lies emerging.

"What?" To his credit, Tommy looked genuinely confused.

"Why would Jenny care about that? Jimmy had it coming. And if he didn't go, he'd probably be dead right now. She wouldn't get upset over that."

Tommy didn't speak for a moment, "Then I don't know, kiddo. Maybe you should ask her yourself."

"_Or_… maybe _you_ could tell me where you guys went last night and why you're not telling me the truth now…" Sean didn't mean for the atmosphere to turn sour in a moment's notice, but he couldn't help himself. When you had something that was plaguing your mind, and it finally had a chance to manifest itself, it was hard to put a reign on it.

"Look, Seany… you've been through a lot. You gotta trust me when I say… you're better off not knowing right now."

"Quit trying to protect me. You're only making it worse by lying." Sean pushed himself up in his bed ignoring his aching ribs. "We're brothers, Tommy. We're supposed to tell each other everything…"

Joey, who was still sitting at the foot of the bed, suddenly found himself in between the older and younger Donnelly, and looked rightly uncomfortable at his current situation. Standing abruptly, he announced he was going to take a leak and quietly slipped out to avoid witnessing further confrontation.

As if nothing had happened, Tommy straightened up and replied, "No. Somebody's gotta take care of this family, and right now that means keeping some secrets. It's for everybody's good."

"Secrets are no good to the people you're keeping them from," Sean said quietly and Tommy looked ashamed but only for a moment.

"Stop acting like a baby, and grow up, Sean! For God's sake you're 20 years old. This isn't… telling each other about our grade school crushes, or admitting who really ran mom's car into a telephone pole. This is serious stuff, and if I don't want you to be a part of it, you're going to stay the Hell out!"

"I'm already a part of it! Look at me, you think this happened on its own? You can't keep me out, no matter how hard you try," Sean said stubbornly.

Tommy looked at him with quiet fury, but faltered and, muttering something about needing to get some fresh air, he grabbed his coat and stalked out of the room, leaving his dinner unfinished on the table. Kevin, who had up until this point, sat in quiet shock at the quick deterioration of their earlier mood, stood up quickly and threw Sean a desperate look. "Look, he didn't mean any of that. Honestly, he's just having a hard time right now. I should go after him…" Shrugging apologetically, Kevin took off after Tommy leaving Sean once again alone with his thoughts.

o-o-o-o-o

It was a good twenty minutes Sean had been left alone before he started feeling guilty about how he had reacted. Obviously, something was bothering Tommy and if Sean couldn't see that then he really _was_ only thinking of himself… Tommy needed his space, and Sean was acting like an impatient child by demanding so much of him…

Looking out the window, Sean saw the expansive city lights under a starless New York night sky. He wondered about Jimmy and Joanie and Louie and felt himself starting to drift off again when the sound of the door opening caught his attention. Turning eagerly, thinking it might be Tommy and Kevin returning, Sean was horrified to see a face he hoped never to see again.

Nicky Cottero pushed open the door to Sean's hospital room and closed the door behind him, grinning sardonically. "Hey there, Sean. How're ya feelin'?" His sneer was serpentine and as vicious as his backhanded greeting that hid behind a friendly façade. Sean felt himself tensing up and opened his mouth to shout, but before he could do anything remotely in protest, Nicky silenced him by pulling out a pistol from his jacket and aiming it at the younger man. "Now, now, don't go doing anything stupid. Unless you think the night nursing staff can stand up to 9mm." Sean didn't reply, trying his best to steel himself against the terror rising in him. "I don't know, though," Nicky continued, "That Nurse Katie out there looked pretty scrappy. Maybe she'd defend you. Girls seem to like doing things for you, don't they?"

"How did you get in here?" Sean managed to say without breaking down.

"I told the nurses outside your Uncle Nicky wanted to see his little nephew. They were real nice, told me exactly how to get to your room. _Very_ helpful…" Nicky crossed the room and Sean felt his heart beating faster at the sudden motion. "Relax," Nicky smiled seedily and reached over Sean to turn off the monitor that was beginning to reflect Sean's frenzied state. "We wouldn't want any of the nice hospital staff interrupting our visit, would we?"

"My brothers are outside. They'll be back any minute…" Sean said.

Nicky laughed at him and took the seat next to Sean's bed that Kevin had occupied earlier that morning. "Well, great then! We'll have the whole family here for a reunion. How about that?" Nicky leaned back in his chair and raised the gun, twirling it around his finger idly. "You know, families should stick together in times of crisis. And this auspicious night right here—well this is definitely a time of crisis. We both lost someone very dear to us last night, didn't we?"

Sean wrinkled his brow in confusion. "What do you mean?" he asked slowly.

Nicky looked genuinely shocked for a moment. "Oh, you mean they didn't tell you? Why would they, naturally? Well, Sean, the police found a very interesting crime scene this morning, but we already found it before them. Seems someone crashed Sal Minetta's place and left him, his men, and Huey Farrell slaughtered inside. No leads as of yet, but I think I got a few ideas, how about you?"

Sean felt his heart sink at the news Nicky delivered, and had no idea where to start comprehending it. Huey, dead? And the Italians… when had this happened? Did Jimmy have anything to do with it? This must be why Tommy was so tight-lipped… Did _Tommy_ have anything to do with it? Sean felt dizzy, like he was going to be sick, and Nicky must have noticed because he responded cruelly, "Don't go anywhere yet, Sean, you'll miss the big reunion, remember? Let's just sit here and wait for your brothers to come back, and Jimmy and I, well we're gonna have a nice little talk…"

**TOMMY**

Tommy Donnelly slammed the exit door a little more roughly than he intended, causing a few passersby to give him strange looks, so when he made it outside the hospital to the street he sulked off a few feet to an unoccupied picnic table to be alone and remove attention from himself.

The _last_ thing he needed right now was to draw attention to himself.

Reaching the table, Tommy sat down on top, his feet on the bench, and sunk his face into his hands. The feelings that had been lingering on the edge of madness for the entire day were threatening to boil over, and he wasn't ready to clean that mess up just yet. He had to remain calm; he had to push it down…

He heard the door slam open again and saw Kevin come out, look around once and spot Tommy a few yards away. He strode purposefully over to his older brother, giving him a look of amazement. "What was _that_ all about?" Kevin asked, incredulous. "Why would you yell at Sean like that? It's not his fault he's in the dark. If it were any one of us in his position, tell me we wouldn't react the same way."

"Kevin, now is _not_ the time—"

"Look, I know what we—" Kevin took a quick glance around and lowered his voice to a pitch only the pair of them could hear. "I know what we did last night is huge, and that it's a really bad sign of things to come… but we're not the only ones suffering right now, Tommy, and you've got to keep it under control."

"I'm sorry…" Tommy said, hiding his face again and running his slender fingers through his dark hair. "I know, I _know_ I shouldn't have blown up at him like that but it's—it's all too much right now, you know?"

Kevin nodded. "Yeah, I know… But we gotta stick together. Not fall apart."

Tommy conceded, taking a deep breath. How in just 24 hours everything had managed to go so wrong so quickly was beyond him. Kidnapping plots, ransoms, Sean almost died, Jimmy was in rehab, Jenny went from loving him to fearing him, and now all three of the eldest Donnellys were officially murderers.

True they'd always been on a downward spiral when it came to obeying the law. Even as children they knew more ways to pick a lock than they did to tie a knot. Boy Scouts they weren't, but none of their offenses ever extended so far as to include cold-blooded murder…

_Cold-blooded…_

Every time he thought about the blood on his hands, Tommy felt himself go numb. Earlier that morning, when he'd been leaving the hospital and tried to speak to Jenny he'd reached out to stop her and all he could see was himself wiping the blood off his hands before wiping the gun clean. Jenny, who might have seen it in her patience to stay and listen, caught on right away to the vacancy his eyes acquired and pushed him away with a scowl. He wasn't going to tell her anything she wanted to know, why would she force herself to listen?

Tommy rode home with his mother to the house they all shared and crashed in bed but he only slept a fitful hour or two before getting up again, needing to get his mind off things. If he kept himself busy, he wouldn't have to think about what he did, or what he was expected to do now, as he _knew_ the Italians would retaliate sooner or later.

He tried calling Jenny over and over again but she wouldn't answer any of his calls. He hadn't really expected her to, but after her confession to him at the hospital earlier, how could he not pursue? She _loved_ him. Jenny Reilly loved Tommy Donnelly. Everything he'd hoped for as a 12-year-old boy growing up in Hell's Kitchen was finally coming true… almost.

There was still the problem of the dead ex-husband that escaped Jenny's knowledge. And Tommy would never tell her, knowing how much it would hurt her. Besides, even if she did find out she was a widow, Jenny would never love him now, if she knew what Tommy had become. She hardly disapproved of their crimes when they were kids, but she was a woman now, and deserved a normal life with a good person.

Tommy used to think he was a good person. He tried his hardest to avoid the sway of a life of crime. He dedicated himself to fixing his screwed up life, _and_ those of his brothers… but somehow he'd been so inextricably linked to his sins that they were all that remained. No amount of fixing would ever change who he truly was…

"I coulda got out, Kev." Tommy spoke quietly. "I coulda gotten out of this life, go to a real college, find a career…" He laughed bitterly, "Started a _family_…"

"You can still do those things…" Kevin said.

"No, I can't. Don't you understand? I'm _in it now_… _We're_ in it. All of us. And I just keep wondering if I even made the right decision. God help me Kevin, I'm wondering if I should have just let Jimmy be and back off."

Kevin contemplated his words quietly, unsure of what to say. "I—I think we did the right thing, Tommy. I don't know what's going to happen either… but we're all still here, and we can face it together."

The pair sat in pensive silence for a few minutes until finally Tommy piped up, "Let's go back inside. I think we should tell Sean what's going on."

"If you think that's best… then I agree with you wholeheartedly," Kevin supported and followed his older brother back inside. In the front lobby they saw Joey Ice Cream leaning on the front counter talking to an attractive blonde nurse. He said something that was followed by a wink, but the nurse immediately turned and walked away with a look of disgust. Joey's face fell momentarily, until he saw the brothers watching him amusedly.

"What're you two staring at?" he said defensively, and reluctantly followed as they headed for the elevators.

At the fifth floor, the nurse's station was occupied by two women that Tommy and Kevin had come to know over the course of the day. The older woman, Nurse Ritter, smiled warmly at them as they passed.

"Oh, I'm so glad you boys are back. I thought you might miss him."

Tommy looked at her, his curiosity piqued. "What do you mean? Miss who?"

"Why, your uncle! He said you were expecting him to drop by later. He's in there with your brother right now visiting if you wanna go—"

Tommy was already off, Kevin and Joey close on his heels, leaving the nurses to their bewilderment. Rounding the corner, Tommy almost collided with a doctor but pushed him out of the way to reach Sean's room. He hoped against hope there would only be one occupant but sure enough as the door swung open he saw none other than Nicky Cottero… followed by Nicky Cottero's 9mm, pointed directly at his baby brother.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Tommy breathed heavily, afraid to step forward, but afraid to draw attention to the room as well. His eyes rested on Sean, who stared from the three in the doorway to his captor and back again uncomfortably. He was sitting up and inched as far away from Nicky as possible, cradling his injured wrist to himself. Tommy's heart went out to Sean at the look of terror alight in his eyes, and he wanted nothing but to take the fear away, but he was helpless to do so.

Ignoring Tommy's rough inquiry, Nicky gestured idly at them to come forward. "Come inside, have a seat, we'll talk. Oh, and make sure you close the door. We'll have a nice, private chat." Nicky gestured for them to move to the other side of the room with his gun and after quietly shutting the door all three reluctantly did so. Joey obediently took a seat as directed, but Tommy and Kevin remained standing.

At Sean's rapid breathing, realization dawned on Tommy and he pointed an accusatory finger at Nicky. "You're the one that did this to my little brother, aren't you?"

Nicky shrugged as if to say, 'guilty' and replied, "Now there, Tommy, let's not go pointing fingers just now."

"You little shit, I'm gonna kill you," Tommy spat, taking a step forward but he froze when Nicky turned the safety off the gun and aimed it directly at Sean's temple.

"Now, I _really_ don't think you're in a position to be making threats, so let's just handle this like civil adults, shall we?"

"There is nothing _civil_ about beating up a kid, Cottero!"

"Tommy, _please_…" Sean pleaded, closing his eyes.

Tommy wanted to keep going. He wanted to throw himself at Nicky Cottero and beat him senseless, but he knew better than to mess with the Italian when the stakes were this high, and he backed off to hear what the other man had to say.

"Let's see, now. I see three Donnelly's and… what are you, their pet?" Joey threw his arms up in disgust and made a face but wisely remained silent. "But how ironic is it that the one person I came here to see is missing? I wonder where Jimmy could be…"

"He's not here," Tommy said vehemently. "He's in jail. Got busted last night at the liquor store across the street."

"Is that so?" Nicky actually looked surprised and considered his next words carefully. "So your brother never even left the area last night after plugging Louie Downtown?" Tommy shook his head and Nicky raised his eyebrows. After several moments of contemplation he spoke slowly, "Then… I guess that means you're the guy I'm here to see, doesn't it?" Tommy didn't speak but Nicky regarded that silence as answer enough. "Well, well… Tommy Donnelly, a regular Mikey Corleone, aren't ya? I honestly didn't think you had it in you, kid."

"What's he talking about, Tommy?" Sean asked, but Tommy didn't even look at him.

"What did you expect to gain by coming here, Cottero?"

"Just information," Nicky grinned wolfishly and Tommy didn't believe it for a moment. "Here I had assumed it was _Jimmy_ who would be standing up for his family but I guess it's time for the second son to be the man now."

Though he knew it was in contrast to his better judgment, Tommy let out all the heat that was rising up inside of him by stepping forward and saying, "Look, Cottero. You and I both know by now what happened last night, and if you understand even one thing about us, you'll know that I don't regret what we did for one moment, not for _one_ single moment… and you know what? I don't think _you_ regret it either. You should be thanking me. With Sal dead, that puts you in charge, doesn't it? Think of it this way, Cottero: I just gave you a promotion. Congratulations."

Nicky looked slightly taken aback at Tommy's boldness, but retained his cool demeanor a moment later. "Good point, Donnelly. Very good point… and for that very reason, I'm gonna give you and your brothers a pass for now." That being said, he lowered the pistol from Sean's head, but still kept it at the ready. "You and your fucked up little family get to stay alive—for now… but if I find you messing with the order of things anymore, I'm going to come after each of you, starting with baby boy, here, ain't that right Seany?" Nicky grinned and swatted Sean on the back of the head before backing toward the door.

"You boys should really learn your place, and stay out my business from now on." That said, Nicky turned and was gone from the room before anyone could react. Kevin ran to the door to see where the older man went, but he was already gone when he reached the hallway. Slowly Kevin turned around to face the rest of the room, only to meet with a bunch of melancholy faces.

Kevin strode over to the bed and reached out to run a hand through Sean's messy, blonde hair. "You okay, kiddo? Did he do anything to you?" Sean shook his head, still afraid to speak, but grew even more afraid when Tommy approached the bed, visibly shrinking away from his older brother. Tommy froze, surprised at Sean's flinching reaction to his presence, and backed off.

"I'm sorry…" Sean began, disbelief in his eyes. "I… _this_ is what you didn't want to tell me about? _This _is why you were lying to me? Do… do you even realize what you've done?"

"Believe me," Tommy said gravely. "I fully grasp the extent of it now. And I'd do it all again if it meant keeping my family safe." Tommy let the silence fill the room. "You understand that, right?" Sean didn't speak, shaking his head slightly. "Sean, I need you to hear me now—"

"You're just… gonna hafta give me a little while.. to process this. I mean… I was out for 4 hours—_four hours_—and when I wake up… my entire family are murderers."

"It's not like that, Seany…" Tommy felt tears well up in his eyes as he looked down at his little brother pleadingly, but he couldn't ignore the glaring fact that Sean was _right_. Tommy wasn't the same person he was last night, and nothing could bring that back now…

It took all Tommy had not to give in to the urge to run from the room, to find some other place to hide from his new reality. But he couldn't leave his brother in that state; it would be selfish to think of himself in a time like this. Yet, from the looks of it, it seemed like his being there was causing Sean more distress than his absence would, given the unsteady breathing that was causing his whole body to shake. It was only when a slight frantic terror crept onto his baby brother's face that Tommy realized the ragged breathing wasn't a result of his anger… but actual physical pain.

"Seany—?" Tommy prompted, stepping closer to the bed. "Sean, what's wrong? Tell me what hurts."

Sean shook his head, panic evident in his wide eyes. His hand clutched at his chest, clenching the material of his hospital gown. The voice that came out was barely more than a gasp, "I… can't breathe."

Joey was already leaning out the door of the room shouting down the hall, "Hey, can we get a doctor in here?!" before Tommy or Kevin could even react. Moments later the room was flooded with people when a handful of doctors rushed in and pushed the brothers aside.

"Who turned off this monitor?" A nurse asked angrily, flipping the machine back on to the tune of erratic beeping. No one had an answer for that, so the nurse continued herself, "Alright, I need everyone to clear the room. There are too many people in here."

"What's happening to him?" Kevin asked.

It was their brother's doctor who answered, "It's hard to be sure… I think something may be piercing your brother's lung. We're going to have to take him to the O.R."

"Wait—wait a minute. You're taking him back to surgery?" Tommy asked as they prepared to move the quickly fading Sean. "Didn't everything get fixed the first time?"

"Mr. Donnelly, you need to step aside and let us do our job. Please, take your brother and go back to the waiting room. I'll let you know as soon as we find out what the problem is." Without waiting for a reply, the team of doctors swept past Tommy, Kevin, and Joey and headed for the elevator, leaving the trio behind in shocked silence.

o-o-o-o-o

This time there was no communication, no concerned relatives, no talking whatsoever. More than two hours in the waiting room that was becoming like a second home to them, and the entire time, hardly a word was spoken between the brothers. Joey had called their mother for them an hour ago, and knowing neither brother would leave, he went out himself to retrieve her, but neither had returned yet. It was just Kevin and Tommy, sitting a few seats apart, staring ahead quietly for what seemed like an eternity.

When the doors to the waiting room opened, two heads swiveled to the left almost in unison. Upon seeing the doctor, chart in hand, both moved to stand before him. "Doc?" Tommy asked, his eyes hopeful.

The doctor returned the inquisition with a warm gaze. "Sean's fine. He's in a recovery room in the ICU. There was a complication with his wounds. We suspected it might occur, but were hopeful that, with adequate bed rest, he would have been fine. One of his ribs ruptured a lung, causing a restriction of air… we repaired it and he's on a ventilator now, but he's expected to fully recover."

Tommy felt relief wash over him and he put a hand on the doctor's shoulder as a gesture of his gratitude. "Thank you—so much. For everything you've done…"

"Can we see him now?" Kevin asked.

The doctor nodded, but his look was grim. "I'll okay that, but only if you take it easy on him. Sean wouldn't have gotten in a bad way if he'd been resting like I instructed. Don't let him sit up or try to get out of bed. That would only complicate things further and I don't think your brother could handle another attack on his system so soon."

"Okay, we'll be good." Kevin said quickly, and the two found themselves headed for the fourth floor where the Intensive Care Unit was stationed. Outside the door to Sean's new room, Kevin hesitated and said, "Hey, I think I'm gonna go see if mom's here yet." He clamped a hand on his older brother's shoulder and squeezed. "Let him know I'm still here, okay?"

Tommy was momentarily taken aback at Kevin's refusal to accompany him, afraid to go into the room by himself, but the reassuring look Kevin gave him showed Tommy that he ought to do this alone, to fix this by himself…

Tommy pushed the door open slowly, quietly, so as not to disturb the pervading silence. The room was darker than the other one, the curtains drawn and only a soft glow emanating from the lights overhead. In the center of the room, the large hospital bed seemed to envelop his brother's slight frame. More intimidating than that, though, was the machine hooked up to Sean to help him breathe, a harsh reminder that the long day was not yet over.

He walked over to the bed and sat down next to it without any sign of his brother awakening. Unable to focus on the bruised and bloody signs of abuse covering his body, Tommy rested his elbows on the bed and sank his head into his arms, his body heaving silently as he finally allowed himself to feel what had been threatening to explode inside of him all day. Two little words were all that escaped from his mouth. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" he repeated a few times, exhausting his grief. After some moments he picked his head up, wiping tears from his cheeks, and caught the gaze of his now-conscious brother.

Seeing the serious look in Sean's eyes, Tommy felt suddenly naked and exposed. Afraid his brother might still be angry with him, Tommy moved to stand, but before he could do so, Sean's hand snagged his, clutching it with only the slightest grasp.

It wasn't much but it was all that Tommy needed. That small grasp and the sincere look that followed was enough to tell Tommy that all was forgiven. One small act and it was almost as if Tommy had been absolved of all his sins and reaffirmed.

He smiled, putting his head back down on the bed but still gripping his brother's hand close to him. In that moment, though hope had so long evaded him, it seemed like everything might actually turn out okay, because he wasn't alone anymore. There were plenty of difficult obstacles ahead, but for now the day was ended, and he could settle into the comforting silence of night.


End file.
